Christmas Book Haul

I definitely have the January blues and I feel like i’m left in lingo between the Christmas break and now having to get back to my uni assignments. Enter the perfect opportunity for a book haul, as I used some Christmas money to cheer myself up in the only way I know how: buying books! So here are the books that flew through my letterbox earlier this week… Enjoy!

‘The bees’ by Laline Paull

Fiction

This was a Christmas gift and I am absolutely in love with the cover!

Born into the lowest class of her society, Flora 717 is a sanitation bee, only fit to clean her orchard hive. Living to accept, obey, and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy mother, the Queen. But Flora is not like other bees. Despite her ugliness she has talents that are not typical of her kin. While mutant bees are usually instantly destroyed, Flora is removed from sanitation duty and is allowed to feed the newborns, before becoming a forager, collecting pollen on the wing. She also finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers secrets both sublime and ominous. But enemies are everywhere, from the fearsome fertility police to the high priestesses who jealously guard the Hive Mind. And when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all her instinct to serve is overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce love that will lead to the unthinkable.

‘All the bright places’ by Jennifer Niven

Young adult

I’ve heard so many good things, so I’m excited to give this book a try!

Theodore Finch wants to take his own life. Violet Malarkey is devastated by her sister’s death. They meet on the ledge of the school bell tower, and so their story begins. It’s only together they can be themselves… but as violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink. How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love?

‘Reasons to stay alive’ by Matt Haig

Memoir

This book is all I’ve heard about over the past few months so I’m excited to see if it lives up to the hype!

What does it mean to feel to truly alive? Aged 24, Matt Haig’s world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him, and learned to live again. A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, Reasons to stay alive is more than a memoir. It is a book about making the most of your time on earth. ‘I wrote this book because the oldest clichés remain the truest. Time heals. The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at. The end of it, even if we haven’t been able to see it … words, just sometimes, really can set you free’.

‘Countless’ by Karen Gregory

Young adult

This is a book I never heard of before but stumbled across on goodreads!

When Hedda discovers she’s pregnant, she doesn’t believe she could ever look after a baby. The numbers just don’t add up. She is young and in the grip of an eating disorder that controls her daily life. She’s even given her eating disorder a name: Nia. But as the days tick by, Hedda comes to a decision. She and Nia will call a truce, just until the baby’s born. She can’t do it, if she takes it one day at a time…

I’ve heard great things about Matt Haig’s book and am hoping to read it this year! Not heard of the others but will be checking them out online for sure, although my to be read list is beyond ridiculous 😛 xx